Earthquakes Weekly Update: July 12, 2010

The San Jose Earthquakes ended a five-game winless streak with a thrilling 2-1 victory over the expansion Philadelphia Union at PPL Park. Substitute Arturo Alvarez scored his third goal of the season on a pass from Bobby Convey in the 90th minute to hand the Union their first home loss in franchise history. The Earthquakes return to Buck Shaw Stadium to play club partner Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League on Saturday, July 17 at 1 p.m. PT.

Last GameEarthquakes 2, Philadelphia Union 1; July 10, 2010; PPL Park; Chester, PennsylvaniaThe San Jose Earthquakes picked up three big points on Saturday night, as they dispatched the expansion Philadelphia Union 2-1, handing them their first home loss in franchise history. The visitors fell behind 1-0 in the 14th minute on a goal by Fred, who was flicked on by first overall pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft Danny Mwanga. Fred finished just underneath San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch. San Jose leveled just before halftime, as Chris Wondolowski, the Quakes leading goalscorer, picked out Cornell Glen at the edge of the six yard box, and he finished coolly into the far post for his first goal of 2010. San Jose was able to catch Philadelphia on the counterattack in stoppage time. Substitute Arturo Alvarez received a through ball from Philadelphia native Bobby Convey and took defender Jordan Harvey one-on-one. He slotted the ball to Chris Seitz’s right for the game-winner and his third goal of his season. Convey tallied his career high eighth assist of 2010 in front of a large group of family and friends. Jon Busch posted six saves in goal and picked up his first win with the Quakes.

Misc. Notes

Quakes in the CommunityWhat: Amway Global Kicks for KidsWho: Steven BeitashourLocation: Canoas Elementary in San JoseDate: Wednesday, July 14Time: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.Details: Beitashour will speak to the students about living a healthy lifestyle and eating right.

What: Hospital VisitWho: Chris Wondolowski, Chris Leitch and two Tottenham Hotspur players that are TBDLocation: Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo AltoDate: Friday, July 16Time: 2-4 p.m.Details: The players will sign autographs, speak with and pose for pictures with the children.

What: Kidango School VisitsWho: Jason Hernandez, Sam Cronin and two Tottenham Hotspur players that are TBDLocation: Arbuckle and Linda Vista Elementary in San JoseDate: Friday, July 16Time: 2 p.m. -3:30 p.m.Details: Players will showcase their skills, sign autographs and pose for pictures with students.

Convey Returns to Philadelphia, Notches Career-High in AssistsPhiladelphia native Bobby Convey returned home when the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the expansion Philadelphia Union 2-1 at PPL Park on Saturday, July 10. Playing in front of a large group of family and friends, Convey recorded his career-high eighth assist of the season when he found forward Arturo Alvarez for the game-winning goal in the 90th minute. Convey currently ranks second in the MLS in assists, two behind Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and tied for second with Michael Stephens of the Los Angeles Galaxy in game-winning assists with three.

Quakes Potent in the Final 15 MinutesWith forward Arturo Alvarez’s goal in the 90th minute on Saturday, July 10, the Earthquakes now have scored seven goals in the final 15 minutes this season. On April 10, rookie defender Ike Opara scored the game-winning goal in the 82nd minute of a 2-1 victory on the road against the Chicago Fire. On April 24, midfielder Steven Beitashour scored in the 90th minute of a 3-2 road loss to Chivas USA. On May 8, forward Chris Wondolowski scored in the 76th minute, and defender Bobby Burling scored in the 85th minute of a 4-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls at Buck Shaw Stadium. On May 29, captain Ramiro Corrales scored in the 75th minute of a 3-1 home loss to Toronto FC. On June 2, Wondolowski scored in the 79th minute of a 2-2 draw against the Columbus Crew at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Alvarez Approaching 25 Career GoalsQuakes forward Arturo Alvarez scored his 24th career goal on Saturday, July 10 against the Philadelphia Union. This season, Alvarez has three goals in seven games.

Glen Tallies First of 2010Earthquakes forward Cornell Glen capitalized on his second start of the season, scoring a stoppage time equalizer in the first half of their 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, July 10. Glen scored four goals in 12 appearances after joining the Quakes in 2009

Busch Earns First Quakes WinEarthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch made six saves and played a big part in earning his first league win as a member of the Quakes. Busch made multiple highlight reel saves to stymie the Philadelphia Union in San Jose’s 2-1 victory on Saturday, July 10 at PPL Park.

Tottenham Hotspur Hosts Open Training Session ThursdayThe San Jose Earthquakes announced that their club partner, Tottenham Hotspur is set to hold an open training session on Thursday, July 15 at the Nutrilite Training Facility. The Earthquakes will host the UEFA Champion’s League qualifiers on Saturday, July 17 at 1 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium. The match will be televised live on both ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The training session will be open both to media, as well as the public, and begins at 9 a.m. PT. Following training, there will be a question and answer session with the media with key Tottenham Hotspur coaches and players.

Opara Leads MLS in Scoring PercentageQuakes rookie defender Ike Opara leads the MLS in scoring percentage with a 42.9% clip. Opara has three goals on seven shots in nine games played.

Thousands Attend World Cup Final Viewing Party in San JoseOn Sunday, July 11 thousands of soccer fans packed the streets of downtown San Jose to watch the World Cup Final between eventual champions Spain and the Netherlands.

Earthquakes Solid When Scoring First and Leading at HalftimeThis season, the Earthquakes are 5-0-1 when scoring the first goal and 3-0-1 when leading at halftime.

Wondolowski Still Among MLS LeadersQuakes forward Chris Wondolowski currently ranks fifth in the MLS with six goals, behind Edson Buddle of the Los Angeles Galaxy (10), Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls (9), Dwayne De Rosario of Toronto FC (8) and Alvaro Saborio of Real Salt Lake (7).

Wondolowski Comes Through in the ClutchQuakes forward Chris Wondolowski is tied for second in game-winning goals in MLS play with three goals, along with Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls, Guillermo Barros Schelotto of the Columbus Crew, Dwayne De Rosario of Toronto FC, Kei Kamara of the Kansas City Wizards, and Marco Pappa of the Chicago Fire.

San Jose in JulyThe Quakes are 21-29-12 all-time in July in MLS play.

Corrales Among All-Time LeadersRamiro Corrales has the most appearances in franchise history with 181 and has made 165 starts, while logging 14,675 minutes played as a member of the Quakes. He is now alone in second place in franchise history in starts, third in all-time in club history for minutes played and ninth in assists with 21.

Quakes Host Club Partner Tottenham Hotspur July 17 at 1 p.m. PTThe San Jose Earthquakes will play club partner Tottenham Hotspur from the English Premier League (EPL) on Saturday, July 17 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The kick-off will be at 1 p.m. PT. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game “B” ticket for the match. Tickets are on sale now and range from $20-$50 and can be purchased by calling (800) 225-2277 or by logging on to sjearthquakes.com. Tottenham Hotspur, also known as Spurs, signed a club partnership agreement in 2008 with the objective of creating a long-term bond between the two clubs. The relationship focuses on both soccer and commercial development by exchanging and implementing the best practices from both organizations. The partnership to date has seen Earthquakes technical staff visiting Spurs Lodge on numerous occasions, with the team using the Tottenham Hotspur training facility as a base for this season’s pre-season preparations.

Quakes Launch Blog “The Core”The Earthquakes have launched their official team blog at http://www.quakescore.blogspot.com. Make sure to check out the latest written content from the San Jose Earthquakes.

Philadelphia Match on Sept. 18 Moved to Sept. 15The San Jose Earthquakes announced last week that their game that was scheduled for Saturday, September 18 has been moved to Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The full 2010 Earthquakes schedule is available on www.sjearthquakes.com.

Quakes Individual TicketsThe San Jose Earthquakes announced that individual tickets for all 2010 Earthquakes home games are now on sale. The Quakes significantly reduced prices for the 2010 season with prices ranging from $20-50. Tickets for the much anticipated 2010 campaign are available online at sjearthquakes.com or by calling 1-800-225-2277. The new, reduced prices for the 2010 season are as follows; Premier Midfield $50 per game ($60 in 2009), Center Circle $35 per game ($40 in 2009), Sideline $25 per game ($35 in 2009) and Goal View $20 per game ($22 in 2009).

Earthquakes 2010 Partial PlanThe San Jose Earthquakes have one partial plan for the 2010 season still available, the Pick 6 Plan. With the Pick 6 Plan you can select any six Earthquakes home games at Buck Shaw Stadium during the 2010 regular season. Prices are as follows: Corona Cove - $330, Center Circle - $192, Sideline - $132, Goal View - $108, Supporters Section - $90. To purchase either of these partial plans or full season tickets, call the front at 408-556-7700 and ask to speak to a ticket sales representative.